TRANSPARENCY & DOCUMENTATION
Visible. Verifiable.
Trustworthy.
We believe customers should understand how their fertilizer is reviewed, formulated, manufactured, tested and traced—not simply be asked to trust a claim.
THE COFI STANDARD
Documentation is part of the product.
Transparency means showing how regulatory review, conservative formulation, manufacturing experience and lot-level documentation work together. Each layer provides a different kind of assurance.
01
Raw materials
Selected incoming raw materials are randomly sampled and tested for nutrient content as part of our quality-control program.
02
In-process controls
Compression, diameter, binder selection, heat and liquid-process controls are monitored during production.
03
Finished products
Lot-linked testing and documentation connect the product received to its production and delivery records.
COFI Does Not Use Manure
COFI does not use manure as an ingredient in it’s fertilizer formulatons.
Manure does not meet our raw-material standards for consistent plant-available nitrogen.
This is a raw-material, risk management and manufacturing decision-not a claim that properly managed manure is prohibited in organic production. We select materials that support greater control over nutrient consistency, concentration, plant availability, traceability, food-safety risk management, and finished product performance.
ORGANIC INPUT REVIEW
CDFA registration and OMRI listing are not the same thing.
Both review products against organic standards. Their roles, authority and California requirements are different. Before any input is used, the operation’s accredited organic certifier must approve it for use within the operation’s Organic System Plan. CDFA registration or OMRI listing can support that review, but neither replaces approval for the individual operation.
Certifier approval is required before use. CDFA registration and OMRI listing can support a certifier’s material review, but the input must still be approved for use within the individual operation’s Organic System Plan.
Fertilizers are not “NOP certified.” COFI products are registered by CDFA as Organic Input Materials for use in organic production.
QUALITY CONTROL
Conservative by design.
Natural materials vary. Our formulation and manufacturing controls are built around that reality.
Consistent inputs. Conservatively set guarantees.
Our raw materials come from the ingredient sources identified in our CDFA product registrations and are selected for consistency in nutrient analysis. We also randomly sample and test incoming materials to verify nutrient content as part of our quality-control program.
Natural raw materials can vary from one shipment to another. When establishing a label guarantee, we use the lowest verified nutrient result—not an average or the highest result. We then formulate above the guaranteed analysis to provide an additional margin for natural variation.
Pellets designed for field performance.
After decades of manufacturing dry fertilizers, we carefully control the compression ratio, pellet diameter, binder selection and processing temperature.
These factors are balanced so the pellets remain intact during handling and application but break down properly in the field and release nutrients during the crop cycle. A fertilizer pellet should not still be sitting on the soil after the crop has been harvested.
Pathogen controls for liquid products.
Depending on the formulation, Phytamin liquid products undergo controlled pH adjustment, heat treatment, or both. These processing controls are designed to inactivate pathogens or create conditions that do not support their survival.
Applicable process measurements are monitored under our HACCP plan, and pathogen test results are linked to the corresponding production lot.
FOOD SAFETY & TRACEABILITY
Less exposure. A clearer trail.
Less time in storage. Less opportunity for exposure.
We do not stockpile hundreds of tons of dry raw materials. Because the vast majority of our ingredients are sourced locally in California—with the remainder entirely within the USA—we eliminate shipping bottlenecks. Our proximity ensures we can meet your high-volume demands exactly when your farm needs them, without the delay risks of long-distance logistics.
Our most frequently requested finished formulations are stored in covered buildings or protected in bulk bags. Other formulations are manufactured to order.
Made-to-order production requires a little advance planning, but it provides important food-safety and quality-control advantages. Products spend less time in storage, are exposed to fewer potential environmental contaminants, and can be traced more precisely through manufacturing and delivery.
Food-safety practices at every stage.
All employees are trained on COFI’s professionally developed Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan. These are everyday operating practices—not occasional steps taken only before an inspection.
- Proper sample collection and handling
- Documented cleanliness standards
- Heat-treatment measurement and monitoring
- Good Manufacturing Practices
- Routine plant and equipment cleaning
- Agile, domestic supply chains built to prevent regional delays
A production lot is one truckload or less.
Each lot number combines the product code with the date of production, allowing customers to see when the fertilizer was manufactured and determine its age.
The same lot number follows the product through:
Built for the paperwork behind organic farming
COFI’s documentation system is designed to make product verification straightforward when audit time comes. Our lot-number system connects the product delivered to the farm with its production date, bill of lading, customer invoice, and available testing documentation.
For growers who need additional food-safety documentation, COFI’s proprietary food-safety package can provide supporting records associated with the product and production lot. The goal is simple: organized, traceable documentation that is easier to retrieve when a grower, certifier, buyer, or auditor asks for it.
SEE THE PROCESS FOR YOURSELF
Come take a closer look.
Visits and tours of our manufacturing site can be arranged in advance. Contact us to discuss scheduling and see how our products are made, controlled, and documented.